Unbound Ranks: Bondage Tape

Sep 21, 2016

Want to experiment with bondage but don’t have the capital to retrofit your garage as a red room of pain? Bondage tape offers an easy-to-use, inexpensive, versatile alternative to more elaborate restraint bedroom systems. Most options on the market are 2-3 inches wide and made of a thin latex or PVC material that adheres only to itself and not to skin or hair, thus rendering it reusable and largely pain-free. In addition to being used to restrain ankles and wrists, it is versatile enough to be used as gag, a blindfold, or (when layered in larger quantities) to construct skin-tight fetishwear. While easier to use, however, it should be noted that bondage tape is not as durable as rope, leather and many cloth-based bondage systems and should be used for light bondage, and not weight-bearing bondage or suspension play. Are all bondage tapes created alike? We sourced samples from some of the best reputed brands in the market at put them to the test with our four-step curation process to see which tapes were just meh and which could really hold it together.

STANDARDS: Only the best for our babes. All the products we consider curating must first meet two stringent standards:

100% Body safe: we do not sell bondage tape that is made with harmful compounds or that could causing unanticipated physical harm (e.g. if it were too difficult to cut with scissors in the event of restricted circulation). We only source from suppliers that manufacture to the highest safety and quality standards

Aligned manufacturer ethos: we only source products from manufacturers that are pro-woman and body-positive (like us!). We do not source products that feature packaging or language that is offensive to women.

RESEARCH:While at first blush there may seem to be little variation between different brands of shiny, black 2” bondage tape we noticed a surprising degree of variation in customer reviews from manufacturer to manufacturer. While not an elaborate product, certain key features do impact the user experience for bondage tape including:

Aesthetics: Whether or not the packaging and product is visually appealing. In the case of sensual latex and fetish gear, shiner tends to be better so as to amplify the fetish factor

Ease of use: Whether the product snags or clings difficultly on the roll and weather the product can be torn off the roll without the use of scissors

Texture: the feel of the material against the skin of the wearer

Comfort: Whether the product sticks to skin/hair

Effectiveness: Tensile strength / how well the product holds form against normal resistance during light bondage

Based on our research of customer reviews, we sourced the four top ranking brands across those metrics and conducted comparative testing with our internal team and select external volunteers.

TESTING: Our ten willing volunteers represented a variety of ages, genders and body types. Each candidate was first asked to examine each of the four samples of bondage tape and to remove a length of it from its roll either by ripping or, if necessary, with scissors. Each volunteer was then successively bound by having the length of tape wrapped thrice around their wrists (with no additional adhesive or restrictive mechanism added to hold it in place). Participants were then asked to strain against the restraint and comment on the texture and comfort of the tape both while resting and while resisting. Lastly, the bind was removed from each participant’s wrist and they were prompted to speak to whether they experienced any discomfort in the process (via skin or body hair clinging unduly to the tape).

In addition to providing feedback on all of the above metrics we also asked all participants to provide a holistic score on a scale of 1-10. These scores were averaged and used as a basis to rank all the samples that were tested.

Participant average ratings:

KinkLab

Bondage Tape 2

Bondage Tape 3

Bondage Tape 4

Aesthetics

5

8

5

7

Ease of Use

10

7

6

10

Texture

8

10

8

6

Comfort

10

10

10

8

Effectiveness

10

7

10

7

Holistic Rating

9

8

8

7

To our surprise, not all seemingly identical bondage tape at a comparable price point is created equal. While several (but not all) of the varieties we examined had a sturdy, supple texture and held form against resistance, of those only KinkLab’s bondage tape tore effortlessly off the roll. We believe that one of the key advantages of bondage tape is to minimize the fumbling and involved setup associated with traditional restraints and as such we put a premium on KinkLab’s ease of use and are proud to feature it in our store as our signature bondage tape pick at Unbound.

REVIEWS:

The final (and most important) part of our curation process involves you! We continually hone our product offering based on feedback from our customers and our testers in order to make decisions about which products to carry every quarter:

If you have tried KinkLab's bondage tape and would like to share your opinion with us please email thegirls@unboundbox.com. All input- positive, constructive or otherwise will receive a discount code by way of thanks, so tell us what you really think!

If you would be interested in helping our team test samples in the future or for any further inquiries about our curation methodology please email lorraine@unboundbox.com.

A brief note on restraint play: Always remember to play safe. Have a safe word and remove all restraints if you experience numbness or tingling. Never leave a bound person alone.